Michael Gove has criticised head teachers after facing a vote of no confidence
and the most hostile reception of his three years in office.

The Education Secretary accused school leaders of failing to come up with “constructive” ideas to boost pupils’ performance.

Addressing Britain’s biggest head teachers’ union he also rejected claims that he was piling unnecessary stress on the profession, insisting he was “not going to stop” demanding higher standards.

The comments came as the Cabinet minister was heckled and shouted down by delegates at the National Association of Head Teachers’ annual conference in Birmingham.

Hostilities erupted after members of the 28,500-strong organisation passed a vote of no confidence in his education reforms, including the forced conversation of local authority schools into academies and the introduction of changes to the curriculum and examinations.

The union’s president, Bernadette Hunter, also warned that teachers and pupils had "never had it so bad", with morale in schools at an all-time low.

In a series of exchanges, Mr Gove revealed plans for a partial U-turn over the new history curriculum – due to be introduced in 2014 – saying it would face a “more extensive re-write than any other” part of the curriculum.

He suggested lessons – currently almost exclusively focused on British history – would allow “studies into other civilisations and countries”.

But Mr Gove faced repeated jeers over other reforms, including a hard-line new Ofsted inspection regime.

Denise Wells, head of Field House Infant School in Ilkeston, Derbyshire said: “The culture we've got at the moment is one of bullying and fear. You ask why head teachers are going down with stress.

“It is because they are spending Monday, Tuesday Wednesday waiting for Ofsted… It's because we're working in a culture of fear, not one of working together.”

But Mr Gove told the conference: “If Ofsted causes you stress, then I'm grateful for your candour, but we are going to have to part company.”

He added: “What I have heard is repeated statements that the profession faces stress, and insufficient evidence about what can be done about it… What I haven't heard over the last hour is a determination to be constructive, critical yes, but not constructive.”

At one point Mr Gove was greeted with laughter as he asked delegates “what are the drivers of your stress?”

The minister went on to say: “If it is stressful that we are demanding higher standards then I am not going to stop that.”

Earlier in the day, the NAHT became the first head teachers' union to pass a vote of no confidence in the Government's education reforms.

Tim Gallagher, proposing the motion, said: "Enough is enough. This motion's intention is to send the strongest message possible to this government that many of their education policies are failing our children, their parents and the very fabric of our school communities."

The UK's three biggest teachers' unions, the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT passed similar votes at their Easter conferences.

The NUT and the NASUWT are already planning regional strikes in the North West next month in a continuing row over pay, pensions and workload with the prospect of a national walkout looming in the autumn.

The latest vote of no confidence is a further sign of the worsening relations between the Government and the teaching profession.

The resolution called on the NAHT's executive to ensure that the government is left in no doubt that that the union represents the “serious concerns” of the profession.